14 Dedicated Fans Inducted Into The White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Legions of loyal fans from across the country submitted personal, funny and heartfelt stories for a chance to be inducted into the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame. After reading and judging hundreds of stories, 14 loyal Cravers from six states will be inducted into the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Columbus, Ohio on October 23, 2014. Headlining this class is the legendary "Architect of Shock Rock" – Alice Cooper.

The judges set criteria to evaluate each story based on the following: brand loyalty, creative presentation, originality and magnitude of the Crave.

"We are fortunate to have a nation of dedicated Cravers who are willing to go to extreme lengths to fulfill their craving for White Castle," said Jamie Richardson, White Castle vice president. "Many of our Cravers tell us stories about growing up with our brand and how it has been a staple in their lives, whether it's transporting Sliders to an army barracks in Germany, celebrating wedding anniversaries or just simply passing the passion for White Castle from one generation to the next."

Since the launch of the Cravers Hall of Fame in 2001, 170 inductees have been honored with this distinguished award.

In 2002, White Castle added the "Craver in Extremis" category to recognize public figures, celebrities and pop icons who had publicly shown their love of White Castle. This year's "Craver in Extremis" inductee is the world famous rocker – Alice Cooper. While visiting Columbus in July during his 2014 All Bad Things tour, Cooper stopped by the Columbus-based White Castle home office for a VIP tour, induction ceremony and an impromptu jam session, which can be seen by clicking on this link http://youtu.be/ilynCjpb_8w.

Cooper is no stranger to Hall of Fame inductions. In 2011, he and his band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cooper is the first Rock and Roll Hall of Famer to be inducted into the Cravers Hall of Fame.

Past "Cravers in Extremis" include current Speaker of the House John Boehner and the stars of "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," John Cho and Kal Penn.

The Class of 2014 inductees includes:

• Nicholas Tamborra, Staten Island, NY – "Sliders Saved My Life" – When Nicholas was 3 years old he lost the desire to eat. He was admitted to the hospital where doctors searched for answers. While a nurse was checking on him, she offered a bite of her White Castle Slider. Nicholas gobbled it up and was fed Sliders for every meal until he regained his strength.

• Ken DeLuca, Hutchinson, KS – "Sliders for the Boss" – Ken's team members say his crave for White Castle is legendary. He is the vice president of merchandising for Dillon Food Stores. Ken helped plan a large White Castle 90^th anniversary birthday bash in Wichita, KS, the birthplace of White Castle. A team from White Castle set up their grills and served the iconic Slider to thousands of Cravers in the Dillons' grocery store parking lot, which sits on the spot of the original White Castle restaurant. Team members have served Sliders to Ken before their personal evaluations and purchased frozen Sliders as a Christmas gift. This is very impressive since White Castle doesn't have any restaurants in Kansas.

• Marie Karamaniolas, Chicago, IL – "A Lifetime of Sliders" – Marie's life is filled with memories of eating White Castle Sliders. Her crave began when she was a young girl visiting White Castle every month when her aunts would visit from Indiana and sneaking Sliders into the movie theater with mom. Marie's craving continued to blossom through the years, eating Sliders after the birth of both her children, eating Sliders for lunch or dinner on-the-go, and today she visits White Castle a minimum of four days a week to satisfy her crave.

• Thomas A. Diederich III, Granville, OH – "A Special Gift from Dad" – For Thomas, his passion for White Castle started when his father introduced him to the iconic Slider. As a child, Thomas and his father would share a Sunday meal once a month at White Castle. This tradition of sharing a meal together at White Castle continued through college and every time Thomas would visit Ohio after moving far away. In 2006, his father bought him an 85^th anniversary White Castle coffee mug. He's enjoyed coffee in that mug every Sunday morning since. Before Thomas' father passed away in 2007, they shared one last meal together at White Castle. Thomas' father will be posthumously inducted into the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame.

• Matt Baldocchi, Crystal Lake, IL – "The Men's Lounge Men" – Matt is a self-proclaimed avid eater of Sliders and a proud citizen of Craver Nation. His desire for Sliders began when he was 4 years old. Matt's passion led to joining a club of high school theater students called The Men's Lounge Men at a local White Castle for an eating competition. The group of theater students crowd into the restaurant and eat as many Sliders as possible the night before an opening performance. The tradition began in 2007 and it continues today. In 2013, Matt shot a documentary about The Men's Lounge Men - http://vimeo.com/61490860.

• Louie Stotz, Lexington, KY – "The Crave that Saves" – Louie has made his love for White Castle a lifelong affair. For years, his father suffered from migraines after being wounded in World War II. The only cure was a steaming cup of White Castle coffee. As an 8-year-old boy, Louie experienced his first migraine, and his father shared with him the coffee remedy, which Louie refers to as the "Crave that saves." The migraines never returned.

• Dave and Lynn Dirnberger, Sterling Heights, MI – "Lifetime of Sharing" – For more than 50 years, White Castle has been part of David and Lynn's lives. David remembers eating at White Castle with his father at age 6. He quickly became a Craver and from there David introduced White Castle to his friends in high school, his girlfriend before she became his wife and even picked up a sack of Sliders following their wedding. Today, David and Lynn show their love for White Castle by introducing the restaurant to friends, family and friends of friends as well as serving turkey stuffing made with White Castle Sliders at Thanksgiving.

• Mike Goldsmith, Shepherdsville, KY – "Soldiers Crave Sliders Too" – In 1990, Mike was stationed in Germany in a barracks with 400 other soldiers. While on leave in the U.S., he searched for something to take back to Germany and share with his fellow soldiers. Mike chose White Castle's famous Sliders. He packed them in a cooler for his international journey. When he arrived, he quickly passed them out. Sliders were heated as fast the microwave could take it, but they were gone more quickly.

• Jeremy Shannon, Cynthiana, KY – "Obsessed with White Castle" – Jeremy's obsession with White Castle has grown stronger year after year. He and his wife started their relationship with dinner at White Castle. At their wedding reception, Jeremy carried a platter of Sliders as he talked with guests and the couple has made it an annual tradition to celebrate Valentine's Day with dinner at White Castle. Jeremy also has been known to use his position as a youth minister to introduce Sliders to many of his students through the years.

• Barbara and Steve Whitworth – Louisville, KY – "Anniversary Surprise" – Steve and his wife Barbara celebrated their 26^th wedding anniversary at their favorite White Castle location this year. This may have been their first anniversary celebration at White Castle, but it won't be their last. Steve is already planning their 27^th anniversary at the Castle. In 2011, the couple joined Weight Watchers. The first thing Steve looked up was the points for a Slider so the couple could continue their trips to the Castle. Today, they have lost nearly 200 pounds together on their weight loss plan. 

• Madeleine Turpan – Massapequa, NY – "The Longest Crave" – Madeleine Turpan recently celebrated her 102^nd birthday at a White Castle on Long Island in New York. As part of the celebration, Madeleine was awarded the distinction as a hall of famer emerita. Madeleine is a former dietician who has been eating at White Castle at least once a month for about 70 years. She said the key to her long life is a glass of red wine and eating Sliders in moderation - http://abcn.ws/1vqfZHL.

About White Castle

White Castle is a family-owned business based in Columbus, Ohio, that owns and operates more than 400 restaurants in 12 states. The company was founded in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921 and is America's first fast-food hamburger chain. All White Castle Sliders are made from 100 percent USDA inspected beef. White Castle's commitment to maintaining the highest quality products extends to the company owning and operating its own meat processing plants and bakeries. Craver Nation, White Castle's culture center for Cravers, connects like-minded Cravers from around the globe in a social media setting. For more information on White Castle and Craver Nation, visit WhiteCastle.com and CraverNation.WhiteCastle.com.

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